Choosing Wisely:
Don’t order complex lymphocyte panels when ordering CD4 counts.
Rationale and Comments: | Order only CD4 counts and percentages rather than ordering other lymphocyte panels. For example, CD8 testing, including the CD4/CD8 ratio, adds cost without providing useful information. More complex lymphocyte panels are unnecessary and increase costs even more. |
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References: | • Aberg JA, Gallant JE, Ghanem KG, Emmanuel P, Zingman BS, Horberg MA; Infectious Diseases Society of America. Primary care guidelines for the management of persons infected with HIV: 2013 update by the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clin Infect Dis. 2014 Jan;58(1):1-10. • Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents. Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-1-infected adults and adolescents. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/ContentFiles/AdultandAdolescentGL.pdf. 2015 Apr. 288 p. |
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